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"And have you come to a verdict?"
"Yes, we have your honor."
"Would the foreman of the jury please read the verdict."
Matt Murdock knows what they're about to say, even before they say it. It's one of the most difficult cases he's had to bring to court. It's been months in the making, and it's a client that he knew from the first moment was innocent. He listens to Danny's heartbeat. Should she be nervous at all, he offers a hand to hold.
Nervous isn't really something Danny does. Or rather, she's trained herself over the years not to show it. Which isn't always an advantage in this type of situation. Her heartbeat is slow and steady, but that doesn't mean she's not thinking about just what she has to do if this doesn't come back in her favor.
Still, for a long moment, as she waits for the verdict, there's only silence.
"Your honor. In the matter of the murder in the first degree, we find the defendant, Danielle Rand, not guilty."
There's a fist pump on the other side of Danny as Foggy Nelson is clearly pumped. There's some gasping and some cheering.
"Order! Order!"
"The court will document the verdict. Miss Rand, you may leave by any door your wish. This court is adjourned." With a bang of a gavel, Danny Rand is a free woman and Matt Murdock is offering her his hand.
Susie arrives from Greenwich Village <S>.
Susie has arrived.
Susie heads to Midtown <E>.
Susie has left.
With the verdict, Danny's heart takes another beat as she lets out a breath, eyes closing for one moment of self-indulgent relief before she's standing up with her usual devil-may-care smile and a charming nod to the jury.
"Thank you," she says to Matt next, leaning in to try to catch him in a hug. He's blind, it's not like he can escape, right? "For everything. If you ever need anything, you know you can call me in a minute."
"I'll take you up on that offer," Matt says with a smile, leaning into the hug. He is blind, but he seems to sense it coming somehow. Before a second, or third thought maybe, can be given, Foggy is inviting Danny out. "Miss Rand! We need to go /celebrate/. Have you ever been to Josie's?"
Danny Rand laughs to Foggy as she pulls back, pushing a hand through her hair. "Pretty sure I did wander in there once. Bought a round of drinks for the house before someone else came in and showed me up, though I can't for the life of me remember who it was. That said, I'm pretty sure this news deserves at least one round of drinks." She nudges an elbow at Matt, offering out an arm. "You in, counselor?"
"I am, benefactor," Matt says with a smile as he gets to his feet and walks out arm and arm with Danny and Foggy. It is the biggest and greatest case Matt has ever worked, and perhaps the most financially beneficial. Foggy often talks about how laid back Matt is, but the son of the Boxer is happy. Almost giddy. "We all wanna share a cab, or walk?" Matt asks as the walk out towards the steps of the courthouse.
"I could take in some truly free air with a walk," Danny chuckles, headed directly through the benches and out toward the street…and the inevitable crowd of press. "That's if you two don't need to rush home to an early bed so you can get up in the morning and do some more of this good work."
"I think we're sleeping in tomorrow," Foggy replies. Immediately, he stops himself. "That came out wrong. I'm sleeping in. I have no idea what he's doing."
"I have the day cleared until the afternoon when we're working on that case for Osborn." Matt grins, "So, if the lady want's to say out late, we'll stay out late. If the lady wants to walk, we walk."
"However you boys decide on shifts, I'm not going to judge," Danny grins, clapping her hands on their shoulders as they step out in front of the press.
"Yes, as I've said for the duration of this trial," she calls to the reporters, "I am innocent of this crime. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Murdock and Nelson here, the jury was able to see that as well. I only hope that now the investigation can move on to find the real perpetrators."
The reporters take their comments and the photographers take their pictures, and after it's all said and done, the trio make the short trip to Josie's. There is one round. And then another. And then, unfortunately, Foggy gets a phone call from some gal named Marcy and makes a hasty exit. Maybe she saw the trial on the news.
Matt finishes off his second beer, "So what is the great Danny Rand going to do with her new found freedom?"
Danny Rand has been drinking gin and tonics, and it's probably for the best that no one's really keeping count of them. And yet, she seems to be in decent shape, if approaching tipsy finally. "Finish getting the community center opened up," she answers, raising her glass. "Maybe even run some classes or something. Get back to giving back to the community and keeping things safe. Not like I've got anything more important to do, right?"
Matt tilts his head, "The community center is the first thing you want to work on?" The answer to his question seems to show this woman in a new light to Matt and a new found level of respect seems come from him. Speaking about the community and wanting to help it is pretty much everything that Murdock is about as a person. "What sort of classes are you going to run?"
"Well, I've had to be hands off while this was going on," Danny shrugs, taking another drink. "Jeryn's been handling things, and he's great, but…Yeah, that's my baby. It's going to mean so much to the people there. I'm really looking forward to being able to get back to it." The question, though, gets a long moment of silence as she traces a pattern in the wood of the barter. "Martial arts. Seems to me like it teaches important skills. Not just how to fight. Discipline. Self-control. But if it helps people get away from a mugging too? Well, then that's a success."
Matt smiles faintly, clearly pleased with the idea of the community center. "I guess that would make a lot of sense. With the hood and the tattoo and all." He says it quietly, not wanting to cause a scene, but he also wants to put her on point about her alter-ego. "Is martial arts a pre-requisite? And if so, how good does one have to be to get that tattoo?"
"What, for the tattoo?" Danny smirks, setting her glass down. "Not technically, I guess. Technically, anyone could take on the dragon. And technically, I'm sure there are ways to defeat her without using kung fu. But yeah, traditionally, it comes after a hell of a lot of kung fu. And competition. It's challenges, among all the warriors of the city. Only the winner gets the chance to face the dragon."
"And you were the winner," Matt says. The drinks have hit him harder than they have her. That's always the downside to his peculiar senses. Matt turns into a cheap date rather easily. "I think you and I should go a few rounds."
Danny laughs, a grin flashing across her features as she leans in to get a closer look at his drink. "Not sure I can hold you to that right now," she chuckles. "What're you, four drinks in? Although could be in the blood. I heard your dad was a fighter." She reaches over to tap at the edge of his glasses. "Might have to take those off."
"Oh, you think so? You afraid you might break them? Or you afraid that you won't be able to get close enough to break them?" Matt asks. "Let's make a bet. Four drinks or no, let's make a bet."
"Well, I'd feel bad about breaking them. Also, if you can't see, I'm not exactly sure what the point of having them on is," Danny points out, smile crooked as she reaches for her own glass again. "Except making sure no one else finds it weird when you're not looking at them. But since I know why you wouldn't be, it's not like you need to wear them for my sake. Let's hear your bet," she grins, taking a drink.
Matt pulls off his glasses. His eyes are stained white, somehow, and they're a bit odd to look at during the first take. But that's not even the most odd thing. His eyes don't look off in the distance—they look right at Danny. "Well, if I win, I'm going to make you take me somewhere even fancier than Josie's here. Since I'm no longer your lawyer."
Danny arches a brow, smile crooked as she considers him for a moment. "Sound like fair terms. Although you wouldn't have to win a bet, you know," she points out, glass dangling between her fingers. "You got me out of a murder charge, Murdock. You want a nice dinner, I'm pretty sure I owe you for a while."
"You're not making this fun," Matt says with a smile as he leans forward. "Now what if you win? Since, I assume you're pretty sure you will win. I mean, come on, you've defeated a dragon."
"Every fight is its own creature," Danny shakes her head. "Winning one means nothing to the next fight, and every opponent is different. It's thinking about the last fight or the next fight that causes you to lose the fight you're in." She really is full of the kung fu wisdom. "But what do I want if I win?" she muses, looking upward and tapping at her chin.
"That is the question," Matt says with a grin. "A question, I might add that you seem like you are refusing to answer." Matt sits back as if he's already won. "That was a really inspirational quote by the way. Do you have that trademarked? As your former lawyer, I encourage you to trademark that quote."
"Well, there's plenty more where that came from, trust me. And usually they just make people want to tear their hair out with the cryptic wisdom when you just wanted a straight answer. But I'm glad you appreciate it," Danny chuckles, taking another drink. "If I win, you owe me another case. Which I'll hopefully be using to help out some small business or some kid who's been wrongfully accused, but you never know. People like to pin murders on me, apparently."
"There is a joke somewhere in there about being pinned, but I'm not going to make it. Clearly I have too much class for that." Matt puts his glasses back on his face as smiles at her as he gets to his feet. "I think I'd better turn in for the night. Under normal circumstances I would wait for a cab on your behalf, or even walk you home. At the same time, I'm drunk, you're not, and you have the ability to put your fist through anyone's head you please."
Danny Rand taps a finger to her nose with a low laugh. "That I probably could," she agrees. "And I'd walk you home, but I wouldn't want you to feel like I didn't think you could make it home yourself. Next time, counselor," she grins.
"My ego might take a hit, but my heart would be all aflutter," Matt says with a sarcastic twinge and a grin. "Until next time, my former client. Congratulations, by the way. I'm really glad you're not going to the electric chair."